Sisters of St. Francis - Red Cloud Indian School

Sisters of St. Francis
of Penance and Christian Charity
Sacred Heart Province
Mission Statement
"Awake to the transforming love of God
throughout creation,
we compassionately serve all as sister and brother
by our contemplation, presence,
forgiveness, hope and joy."
Sisters of St. Francis
Penance & Christian Charity
5314 N Columbine Road, Denver, CO 80221
303-458-6270
www.franciscanway.org
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Works Cited:

Marquette University. Sister at Holy Rosary Mission, Red Could School. Retrieved from http://www.marquette.edu/library/archives/News/spotlight/201003_redcloud.shtml

The Home Inspector. Holy Rosary Mission. Retrieved from https://
thehomeinspector.com/Family/Oglala.html

Marquette University. Sister Monica Witte, O.S.F., n.d. Retrieved from http://
digitalmarquette.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/search/collection/p128701coll3/
searchterm/Cloud/field/all/mode/any/conn/and/cosuppress/

St. Mary’s School—O’Neil, NE. Archives. Retrieved from http://
www.stmarysoneill.org/academy-chronicles and http://
www.stmarysoneill.org/archived-photos/
 1900’s
 Sisters of St. Francis: 1930’s , 1950’s, 2000’s’
 Fire of 1965

Flickr. Fire 1965 St. Mary’s Digitial Archives. Retrieved from https://
www.flickr.com/photos/stmarysoneill/4780018581/in/set-72157624340274669
and https://www.flickr.com/photos/51852512@N02/sets/72157624335074435/

Vintage Postcards & Collections. St. Joseph’s Hospital. Retrieved from http://
www.cardcow.com/233915/st-josephs-hospital-minot-north-dakota/

Panoramio Goggle Maps. St. Joseph’s Hospital, Minot, ND. Retrieved from
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/30409759

Trinity Health. Six-picture hospital images. Retrieved from http://
www.trinityhealth.org/index.php?section=about-trinityhealth&page=about_history

Vintage Postcards & Collections. St. Joseph’s Hospital, Alliance, Nebraska. Retrieved from http://www.cardcow.com/39208/st-josephs-hospital-alliancenebraska/

Penny Postcards from Nebraska. A USGenWeb Archives Web Site. Retrieved
from http://www.usgwarchives.net/ne/boxbutte/postcards/ppcs-box.html
Artist, Sister Regina Boyle, osf
Retelling of our story by
Sr. Mary Joy Peter
from a compilation from various chronicles and other sources,
with contributions and editing from a number of sisters on the
75th Anniversary Committee
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pastoral care, visiting the pueblos and offering classes in sewing, knitting
as well as classes in Catholicism. In 1977 Sacred Heart Province turned the
clinic over to a congregation of Mexican sisters; Misioneras de la Caridad
de María Imaculada, out of San Luis Potosí, Mexico.
A number of years later, Sr. Antonia would find herself in a party of scouts
looking for yet another location in Mexico—a place where the Gospel
could be lived out amidst the poor. Together with St. Francis Province and
Holy Name Province—in 1991 the three United States provinces began a
new community in Palenque, Chiapas, Mexico. With the passionate encouragement of Don Samuel Ruiz, Bishop of the Diocese of San Cristobal,
and the gentle tutelage of Sr. Consuelo Arana (from St. Francis Province) a
formation community began to thrive, and continues to maintain a strong
non-violent Franciscan presence in a region that is caught in unrest, outright violence and political oppression.
A few last words…
The Sisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity have experienced the goodness of God in every year and in every place they’ve ministered. This short recounting is truly a “A Little Bit of History ~ A Little Bit
of Story” and is not meant to represent all the ministries nor all the sisters
who labored for the kindom! Every ministry was (and is) part of the larger
picture—we are laborers in the vineyard, all tending that which God sets in
front of us. The fruit of these labors live today in the lives of innumerable
individuals who have been touched by the Spirit (and the sisters) and have
then become Gospel Witnesses, serving the poor, being the voice for the
voiceless, healing the wounded and empowering those who struggle under oppression and violence. God’s kindom is here and not yet … but together we push on and follow Jesus in the footsteps of Francis, Clare and
Magdalen.
A special thank you to Sr. Mary Joy Peter who lovingly combed through
thousands of pages of chronicles
that we might have a little bit of the history.
The Sisters of St. Francis
Sacred Heart Province
… 1939 - 2014 ...
Three holy women stood on the banks of a mighty river flowing
east. They stood looking to the west where other holy women
lived and labored, scattered across rolling, wooded hills, beyond
the great river Mississippi, to the undulating prairies of the Great
Plains, flowing to the feet of the majestic Rockies, over snowy
peaks to the deserts, lush valleys and on to the great western
ocean. It was time for the One to become Three. For the distances were vast, travel slow and arduous and the number of
Franciscan holy women growing. It was time for a change in
how to govern such far scattered missions of gospel service to a
growing nation.
Thank you to all the editors who ‘tweeked’ these pages!
Thank you to Donna Kroll for gently putting it all together!
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For many, many years, our missionary sisters had been serving the Native American people on two South Dakota reservations. In 1886 the sisters
helped establish the St. Francis
Mission on the Rosebud Reservation. Three brave women:
Mother Kostka Schlaghecker,
Srs. Rosalie Schulte and Alcantara Fallon, traveled by train to Valentine, Nebraska, along with Fr. Emil
Perrig, S.J. where they were met by Fr. Jutz. On March 24th they arrived at
the mission and were welcomed by a very large gathering of Lakota Sioux
and called Sina Sapa (holy women). There the weary sisters immediately
set about baking bread to feed everyone.
Later, Mother Kostka reflected on the stark beauty of the prairie surrounding the mission and the warm welcome they were given by the people who
had every reason to resent the newcomers. In the recent past, white people had meant broken treaties and terrible disease which killed so many of
the native peoples. She and the other sisters would have to prove worthy
of that warm welcome.
The boarding school opened, the children arrived, and their lives changed
forever. How hard they worked through freezing winters and the heat of
summer drought that brought prairie fires roaring over the dead grasses.
One such fire destroyed most of the mission in 1916. In 1918 the Spanish flu
ravaged the mission, compounded by food shortages, and no available
medicine, many of the people died without any comfort but the nursing
and sacramental care that was provided by the sisters and priests.
Sr. Liguori Mason walked the girls dorm, listening to the rasping
coughs and groans of the sick children. There was never enough
heat to reach the corners and never enough food to fill stomachs,
nor medicine to ease the suffering. It was during times such as these
that sister felt discouragement dancing on the fringes of her heart.
She continued her journey around the beds, pulling blankets a little
tighter and laying her hand on little foreheads, as much to comfort
as to check for fever. With a sigh, she turned to leave and lose herself in prayer and be comforted by the Great Spirit.
St. Francis Mission grew and other sisters came to serve the growing
school and mission community. The native people began to take over lead4
Over the 75 year history of the building, Marycrest Convent was used for
many ministries, serving many people, all done from the deep dedication of
the sisters. After years of discernment, consultation and groundwork, in
2009 the Marycrest Motherhouse at 2851 West 52nd Avenue in Denver was
closed. A new site for provincial offices and new housing for some of the
sisters was established on the old site of the Queen of Peace Oratory,
which was razed in 2009. In 2012, after 6 years of negotiations and an economic downturn, the old Marycrest Motherhouse and a majority of the
acreage surrounding the building at 52nd and Federal, was sold to developers who shared the sisters’ values. The sale heralded a new day of urban
renewal and a vision of neighborhood where community and sustainability
are the focus. Truly, Aria Denver began a new era in North Denver, with
Sisters of St. Francis maintaining a solid presence on the northern edge of
that development.
Marycrest at Casa Chiara
Current Residences
Ministries in Mexico
The Sisters of St. Francis didn’t always stay close to home, and a missionary
spirit was alive and well in a number of sisters! In 1965 Sister Muriel Witte,
Provincial Minister, learned about the poor Indian people of Orizabeta, Hildago, Mexico, and after visiting there became convinced that Sacred Heart
Province could be of some assistance. The first sisters who volunteered to
work at the Mission were Srs. Sheila Carroll, Maristella Gusman, Carmelita
Telles, and Joanne Killey.
A small vacant house in Orizabeta was opened as an outpatient clinic by Sr.
Joanne. A little later Ken Witte, brother of Srs. Muriel and Monica Witte
built a structure for housing the sister nurses and several overnight clinic
rooms for patients. Sr. Carmelita and later Sr. Antonia Anthony worked in
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was envisioned … then
brought to reality by Srs.
Antonella Troshinsky, Constance
Tierney,
Rosita
Marquez and Mary Paul
Nevins. Located on the
Marycrest campus, MHS
served the North Denver
area with a passion and
after graduating over 1100 students, closed in 1988 after 30 years. Many
sisters taught and helped foster a sense of Catholic values and leadership
to the young women who attended. The fruit of these lessons in leadership are evident across the state where women alums stand
up...governing, guiding, leading the way!
ership positions in their tribe; and in 1968 the school was turned over to a
school board and the boarding school closed. Our sisters continued to live
and serve there in a more limited capacity. Many beautiful and holy women lived and served the Lakota people since the beginning, suffering much
and giving of themselves in selfless service. In 1981 the sisters withdrew
their co-partnership with the Jesuits after 95 years. Some of the sisters at
St. Francis during this time were Srs. Agnesita Krenzel, Coronata Manion,
Carmelita Telles and Colleen Mahoney. Srs. Helen Borszich and Muriel Witte were the last to remain there in pastoral work. Sr. Muriel is now buried
there among the people she loved and served so dearly, and was deeply
loved in return. She said the simplicity of their faith and generosity in their
poverty was an inspiration for her own life. Now we hold in grateful
memory the years of laughter and tears, teaching and serving in the spirit
of Francis and Claire, the wonderful people of the St. Francis Mission.
Feeding the poor … spiritually and figuratively have been the ministry of
many, many sisters in a myriad of settings in Denver. In a time of spiritual
thirsting the Catholic Biblical School was born. This program, designed for
the ordinary person in the pew, was founded by Sr. Macrina Scott in 1982
and became widely known as a premier program of scripture study.
Holy Rosary Mission—1888
Other ministries grounded in the Denver area went further afield to bridge
cultures and countries. In the 1960’s the DeSmits Indian Center supported
those Native Americans who found themselves in an urban culture polar
opposite from their own. And in the early 1990’s, Bridging Hope was
founded under the direction of Sr. Sen Nguyen, to provide assistance to
the indigent, ill, disadvantaged and disabled women and children in Viet
Nam. These and other ministries all sought one thing … to serve those
who stood on the margins … to give hope and seed joy.
While Sacred Heart Province withdrew from most healthcare ministries in
the late 1990’s the site of the old Marycrest High School on the Marycrest
property begged to be used. After a great deal of communal conversation
and discernment, Marycrest Assisted Living came into being. Named Harmony and Serenity, the two buildings served two different populations:
one served the elderly and the other served those who needed care but
were under 55 years of age. This population served those struggling with
MS (Multiple Sclerosis), Traumatic Brain injuries, or other debilitating conditions as middle aged adults. With an eye toward serving the poor Marycrest Assisted Living opened it’s doors in 1998 and accepted (as they do
today) individuals with low income. This ministry continues today under
other sponsorship.
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Two years later, Bishop Martin
Marty, OSB, asked the Jesuits to
bring faith and education to the
Pine Ridge Reservation of the
Oglala Sioux. Fr. John Jutz,
from St. Francis Mission on the
Rosebud Reservation, came and
selected a spot called the
“Garden of the Reservation”
because of the pine studded
ridges and hills, located a 100 miles west. However like any reserve, the
U.S. government deemed suitable for the native people and the area never
encompassed a major river or arable land. The same drought and fires
plagued the new mission where the earth was gumbo when it rained and
dust when it didn’t. The first buildings were made from the clay of this
earth, formed into rough bricks.
Two Franciscan sisters, Sisters Kostka and Alcantara, experienced in building a mission came from St. Francis Mission to help found the new mission.
On July 30, 1888, Holy Rosary Mission parish and boarding school formally
opened to much celebration and welcome from the native people.
The new mission was born during a time of unrest on the reservation. Late
in 1890, the intensity of this unrest stemmed from broken promises of humanitarian aid. The people were starving. The unforgiving land was not
hospitable for farming; crops failed in the drought and cattle died. No one
listened to the cries of women and children or the pleas of the missionar5
ies. In desperation the despairing people listened to Chief Short Bull and
his Ghost Dancers which promised to bring back the buffalo and the freedom of the past. Many believed and danced.
The U.S. government decided force was needed, instead of food and medicine to restore calm to the Pine Ridge area. The soldiers of the 7th Calvary
surprised the band of 300 women, children, and men in their winter camp
at Wounded Knee. On a frozen, late December afternoon, the shooting
began; no one was spared as even the wounded were left to freeze to
death overnight. Heaven alone witnessed the cries and tears of the dying.
At the mission school, Mother Koska gently rocked the fussing child
on her lap, murmuring prayers softly to comfort herself as much as
to soothe the child. She wondered for the hundredth time if she had
made the right decision to stay during this terrible time of unrest and
violence. The sisters had been asked to leave for their own safety.
But what else could she have done? All the sisters were of one mind
in staying with the Jesuits to care for the children. A cold wind
chilled the room as she listened to the soft breathing of the now
sleeping girl. She didn’t know what the morning would bring, yet
trusted God to watch over and protect them. Gently she laid the
sleeping child in her bed and returned to the chair, listening, praying
and ready to respond if the alarm was sounded.
Gradually the people of the reservation returned from hiding and the
rhythm of life resumed, but the horror of that winter was never forgotten.
The government never admitted responsibility and sought to diminish it.
The constant interference over food and clothing contracts were a source
of stress for the mission and the people they served.
The great flu epidemic of 1919 spared the mission and the boarding school
as it closed its doors to the outside world. Hundreds perished across the
prairies with no available medicines or medical care. The suffering was so
great. The missionaries baked bread and brought it to homes of the stricken along with the Eucharist.
along the dining room wall. There was certainly a loss of privacy on the
part of the sisters as tradition was sorely tested in the process of serving
such needy people. This work was the passion of Sr. Muriel Witte who possessed real love and care for the poor. A food bank was also started to
help feed those in need. Food was donated by grocery stores after Sr.
Rose lectured them that it was a sin to burn or throw away good food.
Over the forty years, the housing came to be known as ‘Damen House.’
During this time, those who were ministered to also changed: first served
were prostitutes, then newly released prisoners, then victims of domestic
violence, homeless families and others. The food bank provided clothing,
information and referral, job training, etc. and became Marycrest Resource
Center. Other sisters ministering at Damen House were Srs. Carmelita
Telles, Mary Teresa Linnehan, Julia Benjamin, and Donna Biacco, and many
others over the years.
The Catholic Charismatic Movement found a home at Marycrest. Teens
Encounter Christ (TEC) was offered the use of the All Saints Dormitory and
this partnership continued for several years. Gradually, this developed into
a ministry of hospitality at Marycrest and many sisters were involved in the
work. Srs. Eustacia Krenzel, Elenius Pettinger were the early directors until
1996 when Elaine Feldhaus became the director of what was now called
the Marycrest Retreat and Conference Center. In 1998, Sr. Mary Joy Peter
took over and offered retreats, spiritual direction to individuals, meeting
space, and over night accommodations to large groups. The Retreat Center became known for the comfortable rooms and great food. The most
often heard comment was about the sense of peace and holiness they experienced. The Retreat Center was closed in November of 2006, as well as
the food bank and emergency housing area. Damen House and the Resource Center were closed in September 2005. The King Adult Day Enrichment Program (KADEP), which rented space in the old dormitory, stayed
on until the property was sold.
Chief Red Cloud died in 1920 and was buried at Holy Rosary Mission alongside the Black Robes and Holy Women, who he had invited to come and
teach his children. He was a man of deep faith and had suffered alongside
the missionaries.
Over the years other sisters founded and worked in a variety of ministries
that have touched the poor and spread the Good News of the Gospel. The
uneducated and undereducated have been the focus of a number of endeavors, including the Adult Education Tutorial Program founded by Sr.
Cecilia Linenbrink in 1964 and Bienestar Family Services, a program of the
Archdiocese of Denver and Centro San Juan Diego, founded by Sr. Alicia
Cuaron. Both of these programs continue to work with immigrant populations, supplying literacy training, ESL and GED education.
When Fr. John Jutz died in 1924, he was remembered as the builder, the
first superior of Holy Rosary Mission, and the peacemaker in the many diffi-
Responding to the need for Catholic education for the young women in
North Denver, Marycrest High School, a college preparation school for girls,
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needs of the sisters and lay people in the Denver area and so the
Queen of Peace Oratory was built
in 1968 on the northern property.
It was the fulfillment of Sr. Marian Rotherham’s dream and she
was the first director there. Fr.
Edward Flaherty, SJ, served the sisters and guests for many years as chaplain. Sr. Esther Jasper came to Queen of Peace and found it a wonderful
place for prayer and contemplation in her retirement from Novice Director.
She stayed there for many years helping in the operation and direction of
the Oratory. Sisters from other orders and our provinces were welcomed.
Private directed retreats were introduced and Sr. Geraldine Clifford was
instrumental in the beginning of this new form of making a retreat. The
Jesuit Retreat House in Fraser, Colorado, was available for the sisters each
summer for a retreat in the rarified, pure air of the beautiful Rockies.
The flood of 1965 left many people homeless and in need of shelter. Sr.
Muriel Witte, the provincial superior at that time, opened up the dormitory
as a temporary shelter for those in need. In 1970 there were fewer sisters
living at Marycrest and the second floor west wing was opened to nine elderly women who shared in the life of the sisters Sr. Borromea Befit took
care of their needs and later Sr. Helena Hager served in this ministry. The
garden level dormitory became emergency housing for homeless families in
1971. Sr. Xavier Kirscht taught the children and worked with Sr. Rose Wentz
who managed this new ministry of the sisters. The families shared meals
with the sisters and at one time there were six baby highchairs lined up
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cult situations which arose during the early years of mission settlement.
The Franciscan sisters were the unsung heroes working with the Jesuits in
humble and selfless service to the Lakota people. A few of these were Srs.
Clarentia, Serena, Dolorosa, Magdalene, and Monica who worked for years
feeding, sewing, and teaching the children. Young women from both Indian missions came to religious life and joined in our mission work. They
were Srs. Genevieve Cuny, Marie Therese Archambault (Sr. Francis Mission), Bernadette Clifford, and Geraldine Clifford, who later served our
province as Provincial Minister and the founder of St. Francis Home for
neglected children on the Pine Ridge. One important person to visit the
reservation was Robert Kennedy in the spring of 1968. He was respectful
of their culture and the problems facing the reservation such as poverty
and joblessness.
A knock on the convent door brought Sr.
Monica Witte to open it to an elder grandmother with two small children clinging to
her skirt. She was one of many grandmothers raising their grandchildren for absent
parents. The woman spoke quietly to Monica for several minutes, showing the beadwork in her hands. Nodding, Monica walked
first to her bedroom where she found a few
dollars and then on to the general closet in
the sisters’ dormitory, where a collection
box of old clothing and the sisters own
coats, shoes and other personal things were stored. Making her
selections, she muttered a prayer of gratitude for the generosity of
her sisters. Later she would tell them of the family in need and the
happiness on the faces of the children as they left with cookies and
other food as well as the items of clothing. Sr. Monica closed the
door, holding the beadwork which she would take to the next Province meeting and sell to her sisters. The money she received would
then come back to the mission where it would help other needy people. Sr. Monica was a teacher for many years and well known and
respected for her generosity and love for the people.
In 1971 a lay school board was formed which gave the people active participation in the decision making for the future of the school. Open span
classrooms, the Montessori School for pre-school age children, and new
buildings became a reality as Fr. Earl Kurth, a great friend to the sisters,
and the development director for the mission, raised the necessary funds
to ensure the future of Red Cloud Indian School, as it was now named. In
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1980, the boarding school was closed and the children were bussed to and
from school each day. A new elementary school was built to provide room
for the growing school. The Centennial celebration in 1988 was attended
by many sisters who had served at Holy Rosary Mission and its schools,
along with visitors from Germany, Poland, Netherlands, and Brazil. Srs.
Magdalene and Dolorosa were dearly loved by the people and honored for
their many years of service to the people they loved.
One hundred years of work and suffering, joys and sorrows for both missionaries and the Indian people passed. The Lakota people came to their
own understanding of a destiny uniquely their own. The white Christian
influence took a toll on the culture and
heritage of the Lakota Sioux of the great
plains, but it also empowered them
through education to self determination
for themselves what their future would
look like. The renaming of the school to
Red Cloud Indian School was an important step in honoring the people and
the great chief who wanted only the
best for his people.
Responding to the needs of children (often the poorest of the poor) has
always been at the heart of the ministries of the Sisters of St. Francis. Responding to the desperate needs of children who were orphaned or left
without parental supervision due to illness, incarceration, abuse, neglect
etc., in 1983 Sr. Geraldine Clifford began St. Francis Home for children on
the Pine Ridge Reservation at Manderson, South Dakota. Srs. Geraldine,
Betty Adams and Colleen Mahony were the first to open their arms and
provide a loving, safe, nurturing environment for Lakota children whose
lives had been touched by trauma. Many sisters and sister’s family members worked to build the dwellings which would become “home” for many.
As of 2014, this is the last of the ministries sponsored by the Sisters of St.
Francis, which still operates under the compassionate eye of Sr. Geraldine.
St. Mary’s Academy, O’Neill, Nebraska – 1900
The wild, wild west might best describe
the beginnings of the Irish settlement
which came to be called O’Neill after its
founder General John O’Neill in 1874. Fr.
Michael Cassidy was influential in taming
this rough pioneer town and growing the
Catholic faith of the settlers. This strong
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Marycrest - Denver, Colorado
Mother Lidwina Jacobs, the administrative head of the North American
sisters, came to Denver in January
27th, 1938, for visitation with the sisters at St. Elizabeth’s Convent. There
were to be three provinces in the United States in order to better serve the
sisters working across the country.
She was stymied when she found the
recommended land in Broomfield to
be unsuitable and located too far from
Denver. She went on to California and
was successful in buying land there for
the new western province. In April, she returned to Denver and inspected
the Winslow estate in north Denver and found it to be exactly what the
sisters were looking for. The twelve room house, on the 20 acres boasted a
barn, chicken coop, garden and an orchard producing cherries, grapes, apples, peaches and corn. On May 4, 1938, she bought the land for $25,000
and the new Sacred Heart Province was established! The elegant mansion
was converted into a Franciscan home for the sisters. Mother Erica Hughes
was the first provincial superior and Srs. Bernice Danley, Immaculata
McCarthy, and Humiliata Krenzel joined her. The first postulants, Anne
Hayes and Monica Held, came in the fall of 1938 and their number was gradually increased to seven. Franciscan and Jesuit priests served as spiritual
guides and celebrated mass for the sisters.
In February of 1950, the Painter
residence became the new provincial administration building
while the stucco house was transformed into the novitiate to accommodate the growing number
of young women entering religious life. Sr. Elma became provincial superior in 1951, while
Mother Erica Hughes returned to
St. Mary’s in O’Neill, Nebraska, where she died in 1953. The beautiful Marycrest building was built in 1958 and ten years later was increased in size to
its present dimensions.
With Vatican II, Marycrest opened its doors to the poor and became a spiritual resource. The province saw a need for space to serve the spiritual
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In response to the needs of the people, Bishop Duffy of Grand Island encouraged the sisters to build and expand the school. Early on it became a
well used space: St. Agnes Academy and the sisters soon hosted a clergy
retreat for the priests of the Kearney diocese. The sisters worked to provide a warm and welcoming space for them, which they appreciated, especially the good food. In 1928, the first two boys graduated and many others followed over the years.
During these years, the sisters suffered many illnesses and even tuberculosis as they worked to ease the suffering of the people they had committed
their lives to serve in this vast land. The depression hit the Alliance area
hard as they experienced terrible drought and dust storms which buried
fields and destroyed livestock. Many farmers and ranchers lost their land
and this effected the whole area’s economic stability. The sisters rationed
food and the parish helped support the school.
By 1961 the boarding school was closed and the oldest part of the building
was razed. Soon after, the parish assumed ownership of the school and its
support. Several sisters continued to teach and work in the parish. Grades
1 – 6 were closed and the higher grades occupied the building until the 1977
boom of the railroad industry brought new families and business, which led
to the reopening of the grade school. Over time the enrollment at the high
school dropped off as the public school could offer more options in terms
of sports, art, band, etc. Sr. Joan Linenbrink was principal at St. Agnes
from 1979 to 1986. The final high school graduation took place on May 13,
1988. In 1990 the oldest 1911 wing of the school was demolished and a
new parish center built there.
Today, the sisters at Marian Residence have routine contact with groups of
students from St. Agnes—and love the “adopt a sister” program that pairs
the sisters and 5th graders from the school. This, in addition to the thriving
Associate program, daily mass at Marian Residence for the people of Holy
Rosary Parish, volunteer work at the school, parish and other settings provides strong witness to the way of St. Francis and the values of Mother
Magdalen.
Other schools the sisters staffed and operated in the area were in Rushville, Nebraska, 1947 to 1966 and Scottsbluff, Nebraska, 1955. Our sisters
left both the school and hospital in the 1980’s.
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community desired a school and to that end a school was completed in
1890. But before the Dominican sisters could arrive, the building was destroyed by fire.
The dream persisted and three sisters and brothers came from St. Francis
Mission to begin work on a new building, financed and staffed by our sisters. The new school opened in September of 1900 and was named St.
Mary’s Academy. Girls came from near and far to live in the dormitory; and
the boys joined them as day students for the elementary grades, but needed to transfer to the public school for the upper grades. As the number of
students increased, the school was expanded several times to accommodate them. The boarding school was no longer needed by 1960 and the
parish took over responsibility for the educational facility. Many of our
sisters were once boarders at St. Mary’s and later served as teachers there.
(Sr. Mary Joy’s father and siblings all attended or boarded there, too.)
Things changed rapidly in the 1960’s; a new convent was built in 1961 and a
new High School building in 1962. The grade school took over the space
vacated by the upper grades and even offered classroom space for four
classes from the O’Neill Public School.
In 1965, fire destroyed this grand old building in a matter of a few hours on
a cold February evening. The students had all left for the day when smoke
and fire erupted and the sisters and firemen tried to rescue as many desks
and books as possible before it became unsafe to do so. The graduation
gowns were lost along with other priceless things, and even the valiant
efforts of Sr. Mary Carroll to save them wasn’t successful as the firemen
refused to let her enter the building again. When the smoke cleared, the
building was a total loss.
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The generous spirit of the people once again blossomed into fruit as books
and spaces were made available for the school to continue. The O’Neill
Public School and the National Guard Armory opened their doors for the
grade school children with little or no rent charged for the spaces. Thankfully, fire insurance coverage was able to provide for the rebuilding of a
smaller, single level, new elementary school building. Long time pastor, Fr.
Timothy O’Sullivan, was a staunch supporter of our sisters and the school
until his death in September of 1966. Others who are remembered for their
tireless service to St. Mary’s School are: Mother Kostka Schlaghecker, first
superior and founder who came from St. Francis Mission, as well as Sisters
Leona Haid, Mathilda Schartz, Justine Michels, Alphonse Kamshoff, Dolores
Disch, Elma Vifquain, Boniface Hufnagel, Immaculata McCarthy, Antonella
Troshynski and Mary Carroll. Barbara Birminham was a generous benefactor and teacher for many years. The sisters were blessed with many more
generous donors throughout the years; too many to be named here.
The people of the O’Neill community continue to support the schools today, as they always have throughout its long history, remembering:
The smoke rose ominously over the darkening sky,
as the last of any sunlight died to the west.
The grief was palpable as the flames devoured
and spewed ashes on the sorrowful community gathered,
as at a wake for the grand and graceful building.
There was the golden staircase melting into the fire
which licked its graceful curves leading
to where the sisters prayed.
The stairs which dared students to traverse unseen
or pay the consequences for such disobedience.
Yet, clinging to the smooth and polished banister,
stepping close to it on each step,
it was possible to reach such heights as allowed by
the golden staircase, and find the holy place above.
So many memories wrapped round the community that night,
joys and sorrows, hope and faith,
even the savage flames failed to destroy.
The fire would have died sooner that night,
if all the tears shed had been dropped on it.
Then, as in the beginning, hope and new life would
rise once again from ashes.
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ten cared for the sick free of charge, accepting produce and meat as payment. This continued during the food shortages of World War II and the
blizzard of 1948-1949. The kindness and self-sacrifice of the sisters did not
go unnoticed, and resulted in surprising conversions. In 1958 the Licensed
Vocational Nursing (LVN) Program was opened and Miss Ellen Jensen was
the first director. A new hospital was built in Box Butte County in 1973. St.
Joseph Hospital remained in operation until 1976, when it was converted to
a gerontology center for the care of the elderly. Srs. Mabel Meng, Elenius
Pettinger, Ruth Weber and Miriam Rubel carried on the Franciscan heritage
of service to the people of Alliance. Sr. Kathleen Dillon was the first administrator of the gerontology center. By 1980, St. Agnes Convent became
Marian Residence and our elderly and infirm sisters were moved there. A
financial crisis was experienced once again during these years and by 1987,
the gerontology center was no longer subsidized by the province. St. Joseph’s closed its doors in June of 1989. It was demolished in 1989-1990 and
the parish bought the land and turned it into a playground for the St. Agnes
School students. The sisters continue individually to minister to people in
the nursing homes, the assisted living facilities, and the local hospital.
Marian Residence continues to serve many of Sacred Heart Province's retired sisters, especially those who have need of nursing care and support.
Their interaction with the larger Alliance community and Holy Rosary Parish is a blessing for everyone.
Healthcare was a passion for the sisters and Alliance was not the only setting in Nebraska—the other healthcare site the sisters were intricately involved with included St. Mary’s Hospital in Scottsbluff which the sisters
sponsored between 1945 and 1977.
St. Agnes Academy, Alliance, Nebraska
In the autumn of 1908, Sr. Agnes
Academy was opened to students,
even though the building would not
be finished for another week. The
first boarder also arrived at this time
and within a year there would be 19
boarders and 125 day students. A
new wing was built in 1911 on the
growing school. Holy Rosary Parish
lost their church to fire in February of that same year. The flu epidemic of
1918 followed on the heels of World War I and the community of Alliance
suffered its effects: many died, including six boarders.
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Kenmare Community Hospital, Kenmare, North Dakota
St. Anthony Hospital – 1950
The sisters took over sponsorship of the Kenmare Hospital through St. Joseph’s in Minot in 1980. This allowed the hospital to expand services and
become more self-sufficient. Restructuring by the province in 1982 resulted
in the formation of Sacred Heart Corporation, later called Marycrest Health
System, which provided supervision and c0nsultation to the healthcare
facilities sponsored and owned by the sisters throughout the province.
This sponsorship ended in 1998 when St. Joseph’s in Minot was sold. Srs.
Paula Archuleta, Francis Grubb, and Miriam Rubel were instrumental in
providing a Franciscan presence for the patients and community in
Kenmare.
It was in 1950 that Mother Erica Hughes broke ground
for the new hospital in O’Neill, Nebraska. St. Anthony’s Hospital opened in 1952 with 35 beds and was a
model health care center for the entire region. Mother Erica was an incredible force for good in the early
planning and continuing support of this hospital. She
died there in 1953 leaving it in the capable hands of
such sisters as Srs. Bertrand Fleming, Dolores Disch,
Ludmilla Hagar, and Fara Mertins. Two lay persons,
Joe and Lucille Dufek, continued to work at the new hospital for years.
They had worked with Dr. Julius Brown prior to St. Anthony’s, in an eight
bed house. Sr. Carmen Baumeister oversaw the expansion of the hospital
which would encompass new services and space to accommodate more
patients. In 1973, Charles Scheinost, a lay man, became the administrator
and in 1983 Sacred Heart Corporation took over the management and sponsorship of St. Anthony’s. Then in 1998, the sisters sold the hospital. Srs.
Francis Grubb, Rita Neyens, and Margaret Schneider were the last of the
Franciscan sisters to work in the hospital under the sponsorship of the Franciscans, yet even today Sr. Colleen Mahony provides a compassionate touch
as Chaplain and the Director of Pastoral Care. Today, the modern hospital
(Avera St. Anthony’s) stands as a tribute to the commitment and generosity
of the Sisters of St. Francis and the fulfillment of their work.
St. Joseph Hospital, Alliance, Nebraska
St. Joseph’s was the first of
several hospitals in what would
become Sacred Heart Province.
Alliance was a railroad center
by 1911, in a community that
already had a small hospital,
which was owned by the Mercy Sisters and had four doctors
providing service to the patients. By May of 1911, the Mercy sisters left Alliance and Mother Agatha McMullen, superior of the St.
Agnes Academy (1908) and a nurse, came in to help. She oversaw the
building of a new wing in 1916. Alliance weathered the great flu epidemic
of 1918 with many suffering from the illness and others dying. It was a
most difficult time for the sisters working in the hospital and the school.
Soon after this crisis was behind them, the hospital experienced opposition
from the state government over taxation. Sr. Ligouri Mason with the help
of legal council was successful in winning a tax exemption status for the
hospital. In 1920, a school of nursing was opened and for 30 years provided
a vital service to Alliance and the surrounding area. Mother Rosalia Eversum died in November of 1921 of spinal meningitis, which caused a health
concern for the community. She is remembered as a holy woman of deep
prayer and spiritual support for the work of the sisters. In 1926, and again
in 1928, new additions were built on to the hospital as the community continued to grow. Accreditation with the American College of Surgeons was
granted July 19, 1926. Sr. Theola Vetter became head of the nursing school
in 1930.
Through all these years, the sisters continued to provide healthcare for the
poor. During the drought and dust of the depression years, the sisters of14
In 1984, the Sisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity began an
Associate Program. Lay men and women, single and married were invited
to join the sisters in a spirit of collaboration. These individuals, many of
whom had known and worked beside the Sisters for years, committed
themselves to following the call of the Gospel in the spirit St. Francis and
Mother Magdalen. The first group of associates were received in Denver
and shortly after, the second group of associates were received in O’Neill,
Nebraska. They continue to hold a Franciscan presence in the community
to this day!
St. Joseph Hospital – Minot, North Dakota
In 1901, four Franciscan sisters from Tiffin,
Ohio, arrived in Minot to establish a hospital there. However, there were many difficulties and the small group split, with two
recalled and two asking to join our sisters
who came from Havre, Montana. A bigger
building was needed and Mother Seraphim
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persisted in her determination to purchase the needed land at a public auction. She achieved her goal and began building a new hospital which
opened in 1918. That was the year of the great flu epidemic and Minot was
hard hit with many illnesses and deaths. The sisters worked tirelessly to
nurse the stricken, and not one of them succumbed to the flu.
Finally, in 1998, due to the lack of sisters to manage and work in the hospital, as well as the continued competition and conflict in the medical field,
St. Joseph’s Hospital was sold. The presence of the Sisters of St. Francis in
Minot, North Dakota, had been long and fruitful and they left a legacy of
faithful care for the community.
A school of nursing was established in
1911 to train the much needed nurses for
the growing hospital. By 1926, our sisters were also teaching at St. Leo Parish
School to provide an education for the
children in this growing city. At this
time, new requirements by the medical
association (College of Surgeons)
caused difficulties for St. Joseph’s Hospital and culminated in the departure of ten doctors who built a Protestant
hospital down the street. This struggle between the two hospitals continued through the years.
The Franciscan spirit continues in Minot through the presence and activities
of the associate members as well as the St. Joseph’s Community Health
Foundation. What a gift both of these are to the people of Northwestern
North Dakota.
The depression years of the 1930’s brought drought and heat which destroyed crops and brought businesses to bankruptcy. At one point during
these years, seventy-five percent of the patients were on Federal Relief
Programs. The sisters provided health care free of charge for many people.
They also provided spiritual nourishment and care for the families of patients. Many holy sisters worked tirelessly over the years to make St. Joseph’s successful, some of these sisters were: Srs. Eveline Franier, Clotildis
Wegner, Helena Hager, and Borromea Befit. Sister Theola Vetter was honored for her commendable service as a nurse and for her many years both
in the hospital and the emergency room.
It was blustery, snowing and twenty degrees below zero, as Sr. Theola hurried across the snow covered emergency area. A call had come
saying an ambulance was on its way, and as the head of emergency
services that night, she was the one on call. An accident on the slippery roads had caused the injuries that the ambulance was now
bringing to the door. Sister prayed that God would also be there to
guide the doctors and bless those injured. This was her life, always
ready to take care of whoever came to St. Joe’s and be a calming
presence in the midst of what often was chaos. She slipped through
the doors and into her white coat as emergency personnel sprang
into action. A few minutes later it had been assessed that the family
had bumps and broken bones but would recover. Sr. Theola decided
to check on a couple previous patients she had cared for earlier that
day. For now, a prayer of gratitude filled her heart. Maybe it would
stop snowing by the time she walked back to the convent.
In 1958, it was decided by the three U.S. Province Provincials to use the St.
Joseph’s Hospital School of Nursing as the training center for all the sisters
from the three provinces who wanted to be nurses. For this reason, the
school name was changed to St. Francis School of Nursing. The teaching
staff was composted of sister nurses from all three provinces. New additions were built in 1962 and 1965 further expanding the range of services
provided by the hospital and increasing the number of beds. The St. Francis School of Nursing closed in 1971 after 60 years of training nurses for the
community and sister nurses for the U.S. provinces. A total of 727 nurses
graduated from the School of Nursing. In 1969, a baccalaureate nursing
program was established at Minot State College through the directorship
of Sister Mabel Meng and the support of the Sisters. It continues to flourish
to this day.
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